Narrative Bridging

In the design of interactive media, various forms of intuitive practice come into play. It might prove tempting to use templates and strong narrative structures from film, instead of developing the narrative directly for interactive media, leading to a move towards computer implementation too swiftly. The narrative bridging method focuses on the initial design phase, in which the conceptual modeling takes place. The purpose is to provide designers with a non-intrusive method that aids the design without interfering with creativity. The method supports the sentient construction of digital games with a narrative, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the player’s experience. A prototype test served as a first evaluation, and two games from that test are showcased here for the purpose of illustrating the hands-on use of narrative bridging. The test demonstrated that the method could aid time-constrained design, and in the process detect inconsistencies that could prevent the design team from making improvements. The method also provided teams with a shared vocabulary and outlook